Sunday, December 23, 2018
If its Christmas, it must be the Christmas Linebacker
An annual tradition on this blog is to celebrate Christmas by showing a video of a scary man rugby tackling people with Christmas presents in order to explain the Christmas message.
This ain't no sleigh ride baby!
Why is Stonewall getting money from the National Lottery?
The Sunday Times reports that the National Lottery has awarded just shy of £500,000 to Stonewall, expressly for the purpose of political lobbying (aka 'leadership, media and influencing'). Stonewall has an annual income of over £7m, and reserves of nearly £5m.
We've had a grant from the Lottery of £500k too, to help build a community centre for one of the most deprived areas in South Somerset. Our annual income (at St. Peters church Westfield) is about £17-18k, reserves are around £12k. So it would take us a few years to come up with the money ourselves, from a community which doesn't actually have those resources in the first place. One of Stonewall's founders is Sir Ian McKellen, who has an estimated net worth of $55m.
The Lottery is already a deeply flawed system for funding public goods. It is predominantly played by those on lower incomes, and the funding itself doesn't go back into the poorer communities who generate most of it. I have serious questions over why a well resourced, well connected group with nearly £5m reserves should get any of this cash at all, when we are surrounded by food banks, homelessness and local support services for children and vulnerable adults closing own left right and centre. I'm grateful to the Lottery: Building Communities team for the £1/2m that Westfield is getting, but the mission creep in other parts of the organisation is serious cause for concern.
We've had a grant from the Lottery of £500k too, to help build a community centre for one of the most deprived areas in South Somerset. Our annual income (at St. Peters church Westfield) is about £17-18k, reserves are around £12k. So it would take us a few years to come up with the money ourselves, from a community which doesn't actually have those resources in the first place. One of Stonewall's founders is Sir Ian McKellen, who has an estimated net worth of $55m.
The Lottery is already a deeply flawed system for funding public goods. It is predominantly played by those on lower incomes, and the funding itself doesn't go back into the poorer communities who generate most of it. I have serious questions over why a well resourced, well connected group with nearly £5m reserves should get any of this cash at all, when we are surrounded by food banks, homelessness and local support services for children and vulnerable adults closing own left right and centre. I'm grateful to the Lottery: Building Communities team for the £1/2m that Westfield is getting, but the mission creep in other parts of the organisation is serious cause for concern.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
So is it true?
Here's a few recommended links to blogs and websites which tackle the truthfulness and relevance of the Christian faith in the face of common challenges and modern ethical and spiritual issues. These were all pinged my way after asking for recommendations on a Facebook page, so I thought I'd post them in case anyone else found them useful
https://christianity.org.uk/ website with lots of links, topics and things
to explore on spiritual questions.
https://www.rzim.org/watch lectures on a range of different topics
around faith, world religions, science, moral issues etc. Nabeel Qureshi (one
of the speakers) is highly recommended
https://benjaminchangblog.com/ good blog by scientist and Christian by
Benjamin Chang, with blogs, articles and videos on a range of topics
https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings
articles by William Lane Craig, who does lots of public debates and discussions
on the Christian faith, the evidence for it, and some of the common challenges
to it. Lots of videos and other materials on the website.
One that's been around for a bit longer is the L'Abri fellowship, founded by philosopher and evangelist Francis Schaeffer, and they have a vast online library of lectures and talks on modern thought, philosophy, psychology and Christianity. A real treasure trove http://labri-ideas-library.org/index.asp
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
'Walk softly, as you go through Christmas...'
"Walk softly, as you go through Christmas, that each step may bring you down the starlit path, to the manger bed.
Talk quietly, as you speak of Christmas that you shall not drown out the glorious song of angels.
Kneel reverently as you pause for Christmas, that you may feel again the Spirit of the Nativity, rekindled in your soul.
Rise eagerly, after you have trod the Christmas path, that you may serve more fully, the one whose birth we hail."
(Margaret Bundy Moss)
Talk quietly, as you speak of Christmas that you shall not drown out the glorious song of angels.
Kneel reverently as you pause for Christmas, that you may feel again the Spirit of the Nativity, rekindled in your soul.
Rise eagerly, after you have trod the Christmas path, that you may serve more fully, the one whose birth we hail."
(Margaret Bundy Moss)
Monday, December 17, 2018
New Joke Added to Westminster Pantomime
Apparently David Cameron is now advising Teresa May on how to handle the Brexit process. She'll be taking marriage guidance counselling from Boris Johnson next.
I hope this is part of a cunning plan by TM to lock him in to No 10 until he's cleaned up the mess he created whilst she goes on extended leave.
UK note to self: if someone has been a member of an Oxford club which dressed up to the nines, trashed an eating joint, then threw a wad of notes over their shoulders as they left, that might have some bearing on how they will handle politics if you elect them.
I hope this is part of a cunning plan by TM to lock him in to No 10 until he's cleaned up the mess he created whilst she goes on extended leave.
UK note to self: if someone has been a member of an Oxford club which dressed up to the nines, trashed an eating joint, then threw a wad of notes over their shoulders as they left, that might have some bearing on how they will handle politics if you elect them.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Trainee Youth Worker role in Yeovil
If you know anyone who is thinking about training in youth work and church leadership then please point them towards this. It's the outline role description for a youth work trainee based in our parish, starting in September 2019. We provide a local placement and accommodation, training is done through South West Youth Ministries, a well established Christian training agency which oversees dozens of placements around the SW every year.
Brexit TV Scheduling - New Additions
In a vain attempt to keep up with events, TV companies have announced yet more new programming for late December
Deal or No Deal: Teresa May searches 22 identical red boxes for something that she can sell to her MPs. Every now and again the Junker rings up and offers her nothing.
The Half-Baked British Break Off: hosted from a small second hand gazebo by Barely Merry
Sounds of the 70s At last UKIP finds a decade which resonates with its values. Featuring old classics such as Making Plans for Nigel, Here's to You Tommy Robinson, and a remix of Money, Money, Money featuring Aaron Banks.
DIY SAS under cover of the Brexit chaos, the government sneak out plans for further cuts to the armed forces.
Are You Being Served Notice? Revival of the classic comedy set in a department store. For the first week anyway, after that it's set in deserted retail premises in an anonymous town centre.
Deal or No Deal: Teresa May searches 22 identical red boxes for something that she can sell to her MPs. Every now and again the Junker rings up and offers her nothing.
The Half-Baked British Break Off: hosted from a small second hand gazebo by Barely Merry
Sounds of the 70s At last UKIP finds a decade which resonates with its values. Featuring old classics such as Making Plans for Nigel, Here's to You Tommy Robinson, and a remix of Money, Money, Money featuring Aaron Banks.
DIY SAS under cover of the Brexit chaos, the government sneak out plans for further cuts to the armed forces.
Are You Being Served Notice? Revival of the classic comedy set in a department store. For the first week anyway, after that it's set in deserted retail premises in an anonymous town centre.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
3 ways to tell the Christmas story with food
All of these 3 have been road tested in Yeovil, and extensively 'borrowed' for elsewhere, and they all work really well:
Chocolate Christmas - telling the story through chocolates and sweets. Or just browse the chocolate aisle of your local supermarket and see what names jump off the shelf.
Merry Crispmas - telling the story through brands and flavours of crips and snacks
Fruit and Veg Christmas - well, you get the idea
and just in case these inspire you, here's a chocolate version of the Easter story.
To avoid spending lots of cash, you could use pictures rather than the real thing. But it's quite fun rummaging through for the next item whilst everyone tries to guess what it is. Enjoy.
Chocolate Christmas - telling the story through chocolates and sweets. Or just browse the chocolate aisle of your local supermarket and see what names jump off the shelf.
Merry Crispmas - telling the story through brands and flavours of crips and snacks
Fruit and Veg Christmas - well, you get the idea
and just in case these inspire you, here's a chocolate version of the Easter story.
To avoid spending lots of cash, you could use pictures rather than the real thing. But it's quite fun rummaging through for the next item whilst everyone tries to guess what it is. Enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)